The next-generation Audi TT will be a sharper, far more angular vehicle, Audi chief designer Wolfgang Egger told us at the Detroit auto show this week. The third generation of the compact coupe and roadster—along with the next-gen A4—will introduce the brand’s new design strategy, which will emphasize the differences between its cars and its Q line of crossovers and SUVs. “We understand the criticism of our cars being too similar to each other,” Egger said, but he also hinted that his brand would not undergo radical changes such as those seen at BMW a decade ago. Key elements of future Audi models will be more-angular lines and more-daring headlight styling, made possible by the advent of full LED technology.

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Under its lightweight skin, the next TT will be based on the MQB modular-transversal architecture, a front- and all-wheel-drive platform equipped with four- or five-cylinder engines. The straight-five, in fact, will play a growing role in Audi’s lineup. It will be offered in several power levels across the brand’s lineup. The top-of-the-line TT RS will produce close to 400 horsepower.

As the mid-engine sports car known as the R4 has been put on hold indefinitely, there is a considerable gap between the current TT and the R8. Taking the TT upmarket will narrow the gap between the two. And the sharpened styling language offers the chance to create a new icon—a quality that has been lost with the second-generation TT, which toned down its predecessor’s unique look.